Tai Po Lam Village CNY market stall bidding set for 21 October
Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will hold a public auction for 27 stalls at the 2027 Fong Ma Po New Year market on 21 October 2026. Dry-goods stalls carry a reserve price of HK$780, wet-goods stalls HK$770, and bidders must be Hong Kong residents aged 18 or over.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has announced that the annual Fong Ma Po New Year market in Tai Po's Lam Village will run from 6 to 20 February 2027, lasting 15 days. A public auction for 21 dry-goods stalls and six wet-goods stalls will be held on 21 October 2026, with reserve prices set at HK$780 and HK$770 respectively.
The auction will take place from 2pm onwards at the auditorium of Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, 19 Lai Wan Road, Kowloon. Any person aged 18 or older who ordinarily resides in Hong Kong may bid for one or more stalls. Successful bidders must immediately pay the full amount, register the stall permit in their own name, and sign a licence agreement on-site, or risk losing the right to operate.
Stallholders may set up their stalls on 3 to 5 February 2027, three days before the market opens. The FEHD warned that if unforeseen circumstances shorten the entire licence period, the government may delay the start date or reduce the licence term, and would refund the bid price on a pro-rata basis without interest.
Permittees may only sell and promote approved goods within their stalls. The FEHD can order a halt to any activity it deems illegal, harmful to national security, immoral, or inconsistent with the market's purpose. Stallholders must not destroy, damage or discard unsold goods in or near the licensed area, and must remove all structures, equipment, rubbish and unsold items by 6pm on 20 February 2027.
Under the licence agreement, compressed helium cylinders are prohibited except in designated stalls, where the amount must not exceed 150 litres as exempted under the Dangerous Goods (Application and Exemption) Regulations. Floating LED light balloons and ornamental fish are also banned. Dry-goods stalls must not exceed three metres in height, while wet-goods stalls may be up to 4.5 metres tall; those exceeding three metres require a safety certificate from a qualified professional.
All stallholders must comply fully with the licence terms, or the FEHD may terminate the agreement and require immediate vacating of the stall. Details including the market notice, site map, list of permitted goods, auction procedures and a sample licence agreement are available on the FEHD website or by calling the Tai Po District Environmental Hygiene Office on 3183 9167 or 2657 1137.